Many businesses solicit and gather information from their customers. This can help a business gain a better understanding of its customers and respond to their suggestions and complaints.
Businesses use a number of different techniques for collecting customer information. For example, many businesses provide comment cards and encourage customers to use them to provide feedback. Restaurants may place the cards on the table, encouraging customers to fill out a card during, or immediately after a meal. Retailers may place the cards at the point-of-sale and ask that customers fill out a card while the shopping experience is still fresh. These comment cards typically include a number of multiple choice questions or identify different service areas and ask the customer to rate the quality of service in each area.
Unfortunately, this approach to soliciting customer comments has a number of disadvantages. For example, customers generally dislike filling out and submitting comment cards because the process is relatively burdensome and because they often perceive such cards as being ineffective or ignored by the business. Often, customers only take the time to fill out and submit comment cards when they have something to complain about. This is unfortunate, as many businesses would like to hear helpful suggestions or positive comments as well.
Many businesses solicit customer feedback through the use of customer service desks. Customers are encouraged to raise complaints or suggestions with customer service representatives that staff the customer service desk. Unfortunately, these customer service desks are generally not ideal for soliciting customer feedback. A customer who would like to point out a problem in service or otherwise make a complaint or suggestion must initiate contact with the customer service desk. This can be inefficient or burdensome for the customer. Many customer service desks can have long lines, especially during heavy shopping periods. As a result, a customer with a minor suggestion or complaint may be discouraged from providing feedback because the process is too burdensome. Further, many customers are reluctant to complain because they want to avoid confrontation or being perceived as frequent complainers.
Businesses also generate customer comments through the use of market research and focus groups. These methods can be very useful in soliciting comments about the likes and dislikes of customers in a group. However, the comments received may not be from actual customers of the business. Further, the comments received are not necessarily immediate and personal comments regarding the business or a customer's most recent experiences with the business.
It would be advantageous to provide a method and apparatus that overcame the drawbacks of these methods and systems for soliciting and collecting customer feedback.